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Features
TECO Responds To OSHA Findings Of Fatal Accident
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last week, the U. S. De- partment of Labor’s Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Tampa Electric Co. and Gaffin Industrial Services, Inc., in connection with an accident that claimed the lives of five employees and left another burned. The ac- cident took place in June at the Big Ben River Station in Apollo Beach.
OSHA investigated the Big Bend River Station electrical power plant in Apollo Beach and Inspectors determined that the employees were burned when a blockage in- side a coal-fired furnace broke free and spewed molten slag into the work area. Employees of Tampa Electric, Gaffin Industrial Services, and Brace Inte- grated Services Inc. died in the incident.
OSHA cited Tampa Elec- tric for failing to follow en- ergy control procedures while performing mainte- nance on equipment.
Gaffin Industrial Services was cited for failing to de- velop procedures to control hazardous energy.
Both companies were also
CHRISTOPHER IRVIN ... died at the scene
cited for failing to provide appropriate personal protec- tive equipment to safeguard employees from burns. Pro- posed penalties for both companies totaled $160,972. Brace Integrated Services was not issued citations.
Kurt Petermyeer, OSHA Atlanta Regional Ad- ministrator said, “This tragedy demonstrates what can happen when hazards are not properly controlled. Employers must develop and implement necessary proce- dures to prevent incidents such as this from occurring.” The companies have 15 busi-
ANTONIO NAVARRETE ... died July 5, 2017
ness days from receipt of their citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupa- tional Safety and Health Re- view Commission.
TECO Responds Ms. Cherie Jacobs, media spokesperson for TECO released the following statement: “This accident has forever changed our company; the families of those affected remain our priority. We respect OSHA’s process and have partici- pated fully with their inves- tigation as a valuable part of understanding what hap-
pened.
“However, we respectfully
disagree with the suggestion we were willful or deliber- ately indifferent to the safety of workers. We cannot
FRANKIE LEE JONES ... died July 15
change what happened, but we are committed to learn- ing from it to ensure nothing like this happens again.
“Since the incident, our team and the union have been working hard together to improve safety, including reviewing and improving work procedures, strength- ening the safety language in our collective bargaining agreement, and developing a long-term strategy to im- prove our safety culture. We are more focused on safety than ever before. As part of the process, we will meet with OSHA to discuss the ci- tations and to determine our next steps.”
The Accident
On June 29th, six men were critically injured in an industrial accident at the Tampa Electric Company’s Big Ben River Station.
Two men, TECO Engineer
ARMANDO PEREZ ... died July 20
Michael McCort, 60, and Gaffin Industries Crew Su- pervisor Christopher Irvin, 40, died at the scene.
Antonio Navarrete, 21, of Wimauma, and Frankie Lee Jones, 55, of Tampa, and Armando J. Perez, 56, of Wimauma, also died within days of being injured.
Gary Marine, Jr., 32, of Tampa, who is the stepson of Frankie Lee Jones, sur- vived, but was seriously burned.
All of the men were burned while attempting to unclog a tank that contained slag, a bi-product of the coal used to create electricity. The slag has been compared to volcanic lava and reaches temperatures of 1,000 de- grees.
TECO provided an initial contribution to open the TECO Family Relief Fund and covered administrative charges.
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